1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to devices for calling wildlife, and more specifically relates to a fixture and process that allows a person to control the manufacturing parameters for a game call to produce calls that have different sounds.
2. Background Art
For centuries, hunters have used various different devices and methods for attracting game. One popular way to attract game is to use a calling device that creates sounds that attract the desired game. For example, a turkey call may be used to create the sounds of a female turkey, which attracts male turkeys. A coyote call may be used to create the sounds of a wounded animal, which attracts coyotes. Using a game call can create better opportunities for shooting prey when hunting.
One example of a known game call is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,270 "Game Call with Interchangeable Reed", issued on Jun. 21, 1988 to Morton. The Morton game call has a reed that can be removed and replaced as desired. By replacing the reed, different sounds can be created. A hunter can thus purchase a variety of different reeds, and can use the game call to produce different sounds by simply replacing the reed.
Another example of a known game call is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,369 "Animal Call and Methods of and Apparatus for Making Same" issued on Aug. 10, 1993 to Forbes et al. The Forbes game call has two horseshoe-shaped frame members that support pre-tensioned diaphragm material. This call is similar to calls known in the art that employ a horseshoe-shaped frame that captivates one or more pieces of diaphragm material. The frame and diaphragm material are typically covered with tape. The entire assembly can then be placed in a person's mouth, and with some practice, a person can learn to position the call in the mouth and blow air over the diaphragm material to create sounds that attract animals.
One of the principal advantages of the manufacturing process for the game call disclosed in the Forbes patent is that the tension on the reeds is precisely controlled in a repeatable manner, which makes it possible to produce a batch of game calls that will each perform similarly to the others produced to those same specifications. This uniformity is desirable when mass-producing a large number of calls. By tightly controlling the reed tension, the variability between calls in a batch and between calls in different batches can be reduced to a minimum. Less variability means that the game calls will have an improved degree of consistency of performance. In addition, by changing the specification of reed tension, different calls can be produced that will produce different sounds.
The call disclosed in Morton requires a hunter to purchase multiple reeds to provide different sounds. Similarly, the Forbes call has a specified tension in the reed (or reeds), which means that a hunter has to purchase multiple calls to produce different sounds. Even if a hunter has the available funds to purchase all of the available reeds for the Morton call or all of the different variations of Forbes calls, the hunter is still left with only off-the-shelf choices. If a user wants a reed tension that is tighter than the tightest tension provided in these off-the-shelf calls, there is no known way for the user to buy or construct a call to his or her custom specifications. Without a way for a person to construct game calls at home to custom specifications, a hunter will be limited to the off-the-shelf specifications provided by known game calls, resulting in excess cost if many different calls are needed and resulting in the inability to customize a call to produce a desired sound.